Chapter 10

Controlled practice accuracy activities

As a teachers, we need variety to increase interest and motivation to our students. We have
different activities to work with limited, controlled languague.

Drilling vocabulary: Some teachers tend to drill all new words more tan necessary,
specially those that are easier to say. But sometimes, once student have heard and repeated
them, the idea is just to practise pronunciation.

When introducing new words, we can write them according to a kind of order or preference.
For instance, sports, rooms, verbs. We translate those students dont know but want to. We
drill pronunciation marking the stress on multi-syllable words to say them correctly.

It is important to be sure that they understand, process and say all the words to do the
activity. Insist in that they use new English words as much as possible.

TASKS:

Nought and Crosses: It is a game to practise many language points such as wh-questions,
tenses, adverbs. This game will be explained orally.

Guessing Games: To practise or revise question forms for any tense or vocabulary. For
example, Students have to guess where I went yesterday asking some questions to me (did
you go to the cinema yesterday?, Have you gone out for dinner?, etc). The main idea is to use
the correct question forms and give them full aswers such as no, I didnt or no, I havent.

Splash: This involve words to suggest topics to drill tenses. Do you have..? Have you got..?
Do you like..? Are you going? How often do you? You musnt write the words as a list but
splash them. Otherwise, students will start from the top to the bottom. They can work in pairs
asking and answering all the questions.

Spidergrams: It is to practise a question form. Be sure stuents know what have to be asked.
The can ask in circular order around the spidergram or in random order.

Revolving Circles: this is a good activity to be done at the beginning of the year. We need
a clear large space in the classroom, or play it in the gym or in the playground. Divide the
class in a half, each half forms two circles, one inside the other. They ask and asnswer as
many question as they can for a minute then you clap your hands and the outer circle
revolves clockwise so students change the partner and they can talk to half class in a funny
and lively way. While we are free to monitor and help.

Mingling: This is one of the best activities to practise structure orally, present, past or future
tenses or for personal information questions. Students can practise first in groups with the
students near them, and then stand up, move around and ask the whole class. The can ask
the same question or diferent question. Another way is to play it assuming responsibility for a
question to ask.

Class survivers: It is good if you add a guessing element according to the languague you
want to practise. Produce a grid with some questions for students to copy ( How many people
in this class are left-handed?....have got a crash helmet..? like spicy food..?... and make two
columns, write My guess in one and Real number in the other one ask the them to
guess the answers and then check the real answers, who has written the correct number will
be the winner.

Activiy. Write true or false. Justify

1) Variety of activities is not important to motivate the students to use the second language.

2) Tenses can be drilled playing guessing games, splash and spidergrams

3) Revolving Circles can be played in pairs and in a small space.

4) Mingling can be practised individually. Students just have to answer personal questions
forms.